When Life Gives You Chocolate
by IAmMurphy'sLaw
Summary: What if Peter was never a Marauder? Willow Blake wasn't someone you'd expect to hang out with the most popular guys in school. She was anti-social and awkward, but they still took her in and became family. This is the story about the real fourth Marauder. AU !Being Rebooted!
1. Chapter 1 September 1st

_**Hello! So this idea just kind of grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go. I'm not quite sure about it yet though, so I thought I would let you guys decide if I should continue it or not.. sorry for any mistakes, If I continue it I will be sure to fix them. Oh, and sorry if the summary isn't very good, I've never been very good at making them.**_

_**EDIT: 1/29/2012**_

_**Hi! So I'm back and should start uploading again. I did my best with fixing this chapter up and ended up morphing the first and second chap together, because they were too short seprate. Anyways I hope this is better. Ta!  
><strong>_

_**Summary:**_

_**How much would change if Peter never became a Marauder?**_

_**James Potter is arrogant, loud and mischevious. Sirius Black is dramatic, short tempered and tricky. Remus Lupin is sarcastic, smart and has a dark secret. Willow Blake is awkward, anti-social and not the most friendly of people. Watch this unlikely group cause mischief and chaos as they persevere through the hard times, laugh in the good times, cry in the sad times and develop a bond that can never be broken. They each have a big destiny, watch them embrace it and become legends.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**~{}~**_

Purple lightning flashed, lighting up the dark clouds in the sky. Rain poured down on the earth in sheets.

One woman stood at the top of the highest tower, the only one still standing. But even that was already crumbling to pieces where she stood.

She looked out at the grounds below. Bodies from both army's were laying across the field and even though she was so high up, she could still hear the cries of loss and pain coming from her friends and family who were tending to the wounded. Pain and sadness tore through the woman's heart at the sounds.

_Is this what it's come to? Was this what they had been working towards all along? _Tears slowly made their way down her face as she closed her eyes. _So many people were dead. So many more were injured._ When she opened her eyes again, they burned with determination. She clenched her fist around her wand. _But it wasn't over yet. No, it had only just begun._

_**~{}~**_

When Life Gives You Chocolate.

Marauders Era: First Year

_September 1st, 1971_

To most people September first was just another day. There was nothing special about this day to them. It was just another morning that they would gather in the kitchen, eat there breakfast and go to work or school. Maybe they would clean there house that day or go shopping. It didn't matter, because to most that morning was nothing special.

However, to a certain community, this day was very important. This was the day every eleven year old child in this particular group dreamed about. It was the day they left for school.

Now any normal person would be thinking; _this is crazy. Why would anyone think the first day of school is so special?_ But my dear readers, I assure you, that if you were going to this school, you would find this day quite special too. Because these kids were going to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

Yes, that's right. These people were wizards and witches. They rode broomsticks, used wands, wore pointy hats and cloaks, but most importantly, they did _magic_.

So now, we shall join these young witches and wizards, whose destinies they did not know of yet and see where their road takes us...

_**~{}~**_

Willow Blake was a quiet girl with a sharp tongue and a sharper wit. She usually kept to herself, but when she made a friend, it was a friend for life. She loved to learn, but loved causing mischief and chaos more and she was quite good at it too, if she did say so herself.

She walked onto platform 9 ¾ and pushed her trunk over towards the big scarlet train, only pausing for a moment to stare in awe at it. I mean it was huge... and scarlet. How many people can actually say they've seen a _scarlet_ train?

"Slow down, Will." She heard her mother call after her. "I know you're excited but the train doesn't leave for another twenty minutes and I would like to say good bye to my daughter."

Willow sighed and blew a piece of long purple hair out of her face; she dyed her hair a new color every month. Her mother hated it, but she enjoyed shocking people with the colors she dyed it.

"Alright, alright. I'm stopping. But only for a moment, I want to find a good compartment." Excitement and slight apprehension filled her voice.

She was excited to go, of course. But she was anxious about meeting new people. She wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, she knew.

"Willow, I want you to promise me you will send me a letter every week. Understand?" Her mother said, grabbing Willow into a tight hug.

"Don't worry mum, I promised Leo the same thing and you know he would kill me if I didn't keep my promise." Willow replied with a smile.

Leo was her older brother; he was a muggle like her father and was in his third year of collage already. Despite the large age difference though, he was Willow's best friend. He was always there for her when their mum and dad would fight and he let Willow stay with him when their parents got a divorce two years ago.

Willow and her mother continued their long good-bye until finally, five minutes before the train was ready to leave; her mother helped her put her trunk on the train. Willow set off to find a compartment, looking into different windows to see if one was free. She saw a lot of things she probably shouldn't have, like the couple who was giving each other a very… friendly hello or the two black haired boys setting up a prank in a compartment she had just seen a prefect leave.

Willow chuckled to her self, but kept walking, figuring she would hear what they did later. Finally she found an empty compartment at the end of the train. She hurriedly tried to lift her trunk into the over head as the train had started moving, but after quite a few failed attempts (one consisting of the trunk falling on her head, she was sure she probably had a concussion), she gave up.

So instead she pushed it out of the way, grabbed a book and got comfortable knowing it was going to be a long ride.

_**~{}~**_

Just as Willow was starting to get to the good part of her book, someone opened the door to her compartment.

"Mind if I sit here?" a soft voice asked.

Willow looked up and saw a boy that looked to be her age standing in the door. He had light brown hair that flopped in his face and bright gold eyes. He also looked rather tired and ill.

Willow smiled. Feeling oddly friendly today, she waved her hand at the seat across from her and cheerfully said "Go ahead."

The boy smiled and put his trunk up on the overhead. He looked over at her trunk which was still sitting by the door, raised an eyebrow at her and put it up with his.

"Thanks, I'm Willow Blake by the way." She told him sheepishly, holding out her hand.

"Remus Lupin." the boy- _Remus_- said quietly, shaking her hand.

They fell into a comfortable silence for awhile each reading there own book. Then the compartment door opened once again, and a girl with short, dark brown hair and icy blue eyes walked in.

"Hey, can I sit here?" She asked absently, then without waiting for an answer fell onto a seat next to the door and sighed. "Thanks, I'm Annie by the way."

Willow glanced at Remus and raised an eyebrow, Remus shrugged.

"Right, so when you two are done with your little silent conversation, could you tell me your names?" Annie said, rolling her eyes slightly.

Willow raised her eyebrows even more and fought back a smirk. She could definitely get along with this girl.

"I'm Willow, that's Remus" Remus waved vaguely and went back to his book. _Somebody's not in a talkative mood. _Willow mused.

Annie nodded at both of them and after a few minutes of silence asked. "So I take it your both first years, right?"

Willow put her book down with a sigh. _It was just getting good too._

"Yeah. What about you?" Willow asked this because Annie was rather tall for an eleven year old, and looked to mature for one too.

As Willow thought about it, she and Annie were almost exact opposites in appearance. Willow was really small for her age and often got mistaken for much younger (this helped develop the ability to ignore most comments.) and where Annie had short dark hair, Willows natural hair color was blonde and it came to her waist. The only thing they really had in common was their blue eyes, but even with that Willow's were much darker, almost like sapphires and Annie's looked like ice.

"I'm a first year too. Any idea what house your going to be in?" Annie asked, tilting her head like a curious cat.

"I don't know. I really wouldn't mind going to any of the houses. Except maybe Slytherin, they get such a bad reputation and I would rather not be shoved into the most prejudice house out there."

Annie nodded, "Understandable. I want to be a Ravenclaw. My mum was a Ravenclaw and so was my Gran. What about you Remus?" the last part she directed at the sleeping boy in the corner.

The two girls giggled because he was sitting in the exact same position as when he was reading. If it wasn't for the soft snoring they heard, they would have thought he was still awake.

The girls continued to talk about anything that came to mind, only waking Remus when the lunch trolley showed up. After that he joined into the conversation.

Willow found that she really enjoyed talking to them. Remus was quite and a little awkward, but he was also smart, very mischievous, and had an almost dry humor.

Annie was loud, dramatic and sarcastic. She didn't care what people thought of her and could be rather rude. But she was also fun and kept them on their toes.

All in all, Willow felt that she made two very good friends on the train that day.

After a couple games of Exploding Snap and the exchanging of quite a few stories, the train pulled to a stop and the three of them nervously made there way out of the train.

They were finally at Hogwarts.

**~{}~**

The three first years, stepped off the train into the pouring rain. They looked around for other first years hoping to get a clue as to what they were suppose to do when they heard a gruff voice call out.

"Firs' years, firs' years over here."

They looked towards the voice and saw a giant of a man standing in front of a small group of kids and holding a lantern. He had wild black hair and beard and black eyes that glittered like beetles. All in all, he was rather intimidating.

"I'm not seeing things right? That man really is eight feet tall?" Willow asked Annie, as they walked towards the giant.

Annie looked at her funny. "Haven't you ever seen a giant before?"

Willow shook her head. "No, I'm a half-blood but my mum left magic behind when she married my dad. I didn't even know I was a witch until two years ago, when they got a divorce and my mum went back to the magical community."

Annie got a smirk on her face. "Oh, this will be fun. I've never met anyone who didn't know much about magic."

Remus looked at Annie disapprovingly, when Willow started to chew her lip nervously. "Don't be mean Annie." He scolded, and then turned to Willow. "You'll be fine, don't worry about it. There's lot's of muggleborns that didn't have a clue they were magic till they got their letter and they all do fine."

Willow smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks."

**~{}~**

After all the first years had gathered around the tall man, who introduced himself as Hagrid the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at the school, he led them down to a huge and beautiful lake where they all got their first look at the castle. Unfortunately, since it was raining all they could really see were some lights in the distance and pitch black water.

They all clambered into the little boats on the edge of the lake and set off towards the lights on the other side. Willow and Remus had climbed into a boat with the two black haired boys Willow had seen setting a prank earlier.

One had short messy hair, glasses and a laid back but also slightly cocky air about him. The other boy had longer black hair, gray eyes and perfect posture.

They were chatting about the prank they had pulled on the prefect. Apparently the prefect had yelled at the boys for running in the hall and so they decided he needed to lighten up a bit, by, well… lighting him up. According to them he was still flashing random neon colors when they got off the train.

Willow grinned. She loved pranks and did them often, but no one ever suspected her because she tended to be quite and anti-social. The saying she lived by was _"no one ever suspects the quite one"_ because, quite frankly, it was true.

Willow was distracted from her musing when she noticed the two boys had started pushing each other, until one of them pushed the other too far and the boat tipped all four first years into the lake.

Willow laughed as she came up to the surface of the water. They were already wet from the rain, so she wasn't mad about getting wet. It helped that the lake water was surprisingly warm. Willow looked over towards the boat to see a grumpy Remus trying to get back in it.

"Remus," she called. Somehow no one had noticed their boat had flipped yet. "Come on; let's race to the cave, yeah?"

Remus rolled his eyes at her as he fell back into the boat with an 'Oof!' "No thanks, I think I prefer the boat."

Willow laughed and shrugged. "Your loss." then she turned to the two boys trying to swim to the boat. "Hey! You two! Want to race?"

The boys looked at her, shared a grin, and then took off. Willow grumbled something about cheaters, but took off after them anyways.

By the time they got to the cave, other kids were cheering them on and finally they made it to the dock. The boy with glasses won and Willow came in second.

Hagrid told them (as he pulled them out of the water by the back of their robes) that because they were only first years that hadn't even been sorted yet, he would let them go and not get them detentions. Willow promised herself to do something very nice for the man, having expected at least a weeks worth.

**~{}~**

The first years all trudged their way across the grounds, Hagrid pointing things out even though with the rain and it being dark out, no one could see much. They came to a stop when they got to a giant wooden door outside the castle.

Hagrid knocked on it and a strict looking woman took them in through a huge entrance hall and into a side chamber.

She introduced herself as Professor Minerva McGonagall and gave them a quick speech about the different house's, their quality's and how you could earn and lose house points – which would be added up at the end of the year to see who would win the house cup. Finally she ended with casting a drying charm on them all so they wouldn't catch colds and telling them she would be back momentarily.

Willow was nervous. She wasn't sure she fit well in any house, but she was sure she would be way behind all the other kids because she had grown up muggle.

Remus seeing the worry on her face tried to reassure her. "Don't worry Willow, you'll be fine. I'm a half-blood and I barely know any spells. Even the one's I do know, I can't do yet."

Remus, himself was extremely worried about the sorting. He was afraid his status of being a Dark Creature would automatically put him in Slytherin. He was happy and a little surprised he had already made a friend in Willow and Annie. But he was afraid they wouldn't want to be his friend if he were in Slytherin. He didn't even want to think about if they found out his secret.

Willow gave him a small nervous smile. "Thanks Remus, its just this whole thing is a bit overwhelming."

Remus nodded. "That's understandable."

All the first years talked nervously amongst each other. Well, almost all of them were nervous. The two boys Willow had raced seemed perfectly at ease. It was almost unnerving how at ease they were with it all. In fact the one with glasses seemed to be fighting with a greasy haired kid.

Willow jumped when Annie popped up behind her and said quietly. "Look at that! The first rivalry of the year and it hasn't even technically started yet."

Willow laughed, some of her nervousness melting away. Annie smiled victoriously at Remus and gave him a 'See? I can be nice.' look. Remus just shook his head.

It was amazing how quickly people could become such good friends. Remus had only been friends with Annie and Willow for a couple of hours, but it already felt like they had been friends for weeks. Remus was snapped out of his musings when McGonagall walked back into the room and told the first years to follow her.

_Here's hoping for the best._ He thought exchanging a quick nervous look with his two friends.

**~{}~**

**_A/N: Leave a review tell me what you think. This story is just going to be played by ear I guess, since I only have a vague idea of what I want to do with it. Also, if you guys have any prank ideas you'd like to see I would love to know them. (I'm running out of ideas! But shh! you don't know that. ;P)_**


	2. Chapter 2 Life at Hogwarts

_**Hey, guys! So I took chapter two and squished it together with chapter one and so now we have a brand new chapter two! Sorry if it seems rushed or just a bit too fluffy. The story will get better once introductions and explanations are out of the way, I hope. I should warn you though, that I really don't have much of a plan with this story. It's just an idea that wouldn't let me be, so I'm kind of winging it. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**_

_**And thank you so much to my lovely reviewers. If I had cookies you each would have a dozen. :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything relating to **__**Harry Potter**__** belongs to J.K. Rowling**_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Two; Life at Hogwarts <em>

McGonagall ushered the first years into a line. Willow got in between Annie and Remus. She was almost shaking with nerves; Annie shot Willow a reassuring smile over her shoulder, though Willow was sure she saw a flicker of worry in Annie's eyes too.

When they walked into the Great Hall, Willow couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her and though Annie would later deny it, she gasped too.

The hall was huge with four long tables, each one representing a Hogwarts house and at the other end of the Hall sat the teachers table. Looking up, Willow saw the ceiling was charmed to show the night sky. It was so real Willow thought it was going to start raining in the hall.

The group of first years were lead to the teachers table to stand in front of it, facing the students. All the students seemed to be staring at the old, ratty hat sitting on a stool next to McGonagall. Willow was just starting to wonder what they were waiting for when the hat burst into song.

Willow was so stunned she almost didn't listen to the hat sing about the house and their traits— Gryffindor was for the brave and the bold, Ravenclaw for the clever and willing to learn, Hufflepuff for the loyal and honest, and Slytherin for the ambitious and cunning. When the hat finished she clapped with everyone else, a big smile on her face as her worry's and nervousness melted away some. It was just a hat, after all.

"When I call out your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." McGonagall announced. "Ackerly, William."

A small, clumsy boy with a mop of blonde hair stumbled to the stool and placed the hat on his head. A few minutes went by until the hat finally called out: "RAVENCLAW!"

The table second to the right burst into applause, and little William went over to sit with them.

After that Willow zoned out a bit until she heard; "Black, Sirius" and the boy with perfect posture, sauntered up to the chair and placed the hat on his head. She watched as his fist clenched and the half of his face she could see, screwed up in concentration.

Finally the hat called; "GRYFFINDOR!" and silence swept through the hall. The clapping started from the boy with glasses. Then the table on the far right started to clap a bit uncertainly and Sirius shot a grateful smile at his friend.

Willow had just enough time to think; that was weird. When her name was called;

"Blake, Willow."

Remus and Annie sent her reassuring grins, and then Willow saw no more as the hat fell over her eyes.

_Ah... What a mind... this one will be hard._

Willow jumped a bit. Um... Hello.

She heard the cool voice chuckle. _Hello, my dear. Aren't you interesting? You're very cunning… resourceful too. Both traits of a Slytherin, except you lack one important thing and that's ambition._

Willow decided to let the hat do his work. She was interested in what she could learn.

_A curious one too. A thirst for knowledge, a diplomatic approach to most situations and a witty mind. You could be in Ravenclaw. You also are very bold and brave. Willing to put others before yourself and stand up for your beliefs. Yes... I believe I know which house to put you in now._

For supposedly being hard, you figured that out rather quickly.

_Indeed I did._ The hat chuckled.

Well, thanks I guess… She thought awkwardly. I mean, what do you say to a hat?

The hat chuckled again, then yelled to the rest of the Hall; "GRYFFINDOR!"

Willow whipped the hat off her head after saying good-bye to it, and made her way over to the cheering table. She sat down across from the boy (Sirius? What an odd name…) and next to a friendly second year boy, who introduced himself as Frank Longbottom.

Willow quickly turned back to the sorting as a red haired girl named Lily Evans joined their table.

Willow was intrigued to find that a lot of people were sorted right away while a few took up to five minutes to be sorted. Willow sat up a bit straighter as she heard Remus' name called. She crossed her fingers under the table as she saw him walk towards the hat.

His sorting seemed to be the longest one yet, or maybe it was just because she was so worried they wouldn't be in the same house. Either way it seemed to take ages before finally, the hat called out; "GRYFFINDOR!"

Willow jumped up and hugged her friend as he came to sit next to her, making him laugh. Soon the Gryffindor first years were joined by two more girls and one more boy. Then "Potter, James" was called and the boy with the glasses and messy hair, confidently sat on the stool. The hat had barely even touched his head when it called out; "GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius whooped as the rest of the first years laughed and clapped politely.

At last it got down to the last couple of people and "Smith, Annabel" was called. Willow and Remus shared an anxious glance as Annie put the hat on and waited… and waited…

"My sorting wasn't this long was it?" Remus asked Willow. She shook her head.

"Nope, it was longer then most but not this long."

After what seemed like a decade to her friends, the hat finally called out; "RAVENCLAW!" and Annie made her way over to the cheering table, smiling.

Remus and Willow sighed a little disappointed, but clapped and cheered for her none the less. It was the house she wanted to be in after all.

The sorting was concluded as the greasy haired boy James had been fighting with was sorted into Slytherin.

Everyone looked to the teachers as the headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood to address the students.

"I know you all would like to get to the wonderful feast, so I will make this quick." He smiled as almost every student in the hall sighed with relief. "Welcome and welcome back, new and old students. Now, what are you all waiting for? Tuck in."

Everyone laughed a bit and started to dig in.

Willow gasped. That food wasn't there a moment ago. Frank heard her gasp and chuckled.

"The house elves make the food down in the kitchens and send it up here the moment Dumbledore says the word." He explained amused by her amazed face.

The rest of the night went by pleasantly. Everyone introduced each other properly and chatted amongst themselves. Remus and Willow immediately hit it off with James and Sirius; they all seemed to balance each other out. Remus was the sarcastic, smart one; who made the others think their plans and ideas through. Sirius was the dramatic, moody one; who kept the conversation alive and entertaining. James was the friendly, mischievous one; who made sure none of them felt left out. And Willow was the quite, calm one; who played peacemaker if anyone started to fight.

It was the perfect group of opposites; with one big thing in common… they loved to play pranks. And that was all it took for these four first years to become best friends.

**~{}~**

The next couple of weeks went by in a blur as all the first years got used to their schedules. Willow and Remus started getting up at 6 in the morning, when breakfast started; so they could eat with Annie until the rest of the houses started getting up and they had to separate.

Classes weren't nearly as hard as Willow thought they were going to be. In fact she found she had quite the talent for some of the classes, like in Potions when she was able to make her very first potion perfectly.

Slughorn, their Potions teacher, was practically bouncing with excitement at the talent she showed for the class. (Sirius and James joked that Slughorn was sweet on her. Which was really a revolting thought as he was wider then he was tall and looked a bit like a walrus, not to mention he was about thirty years older then her.)

Of course Willow also found she was terrible in some classes. Like in Transfiguration when she tried to change a beetle to a button and ended up morphing it into some type of cross between the quill she had been using to write notes with, a beetle and a very odd shaped button.

McGonagall couldn't even change it back because she wasn't really sure how it happened. She didn't take points from Willow either, stating that it was such an extravagant failure that she just couldn't make herself do it. She had also taken to personally helping Willow in class so as not to have something worse happen. James, Sirius and Remus had laughed about it for a week afterwards.

As for the rest of Willows classes she and her friends figured out that there was no middle ground with her. She was either really good at something or an epic failure at it.

Remus on the other hand, was soon found to be a genius or so everyone but him thought. James and Sirius also seemed to be geniuses at first. But after reading what they called essays, Remus and Willow decided that they just had natural talent.

**~{}~**

Willow in a rare moment of friendliness, had tried to make friends with the other girls in her dorm, but found they just didn't have anything in common.

Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald had known each other before school and were already best friends. They were nice enough girls, but they were far too gossipy for Willow. They preferred to talk about the latest scandal, rather then the latest book they read or what happened at the last Quidditch game. (Willow had been sucked into the Quidditch fandom by the number one Quidditch fan himself, James.)

Lily on the other hand… While Willow got on with her rather well, there were two things that made it hard for Willow to hang out with her.

One; when Lily was around her best friend Severus Snape, (who happened to be the greasy haired boy James had been fighting with.) she acted rather mean. And two; she was always, _always_ saying something mean about James and Sirius and that was just unacceptable in Willow's book.

Willow figured since she had done her best not to say anything about how mean Snape was to her when Lily had made them all hang out together, Lily could at least show the same courtesy and refrain herself from saying anything mean about Willow's friends. But she didn't.

So all in all, Willow's time in the girl's dorm was rather uncomfortable for her. She didn't _dislike_ the girls… she just didn't particularly _like_ them either. It probably didn't help that Willow wasn't exactly easy to get along with herself.

She was rather blunt and honest about things, and for the most part didn't show her emotions to anyone but those she was closest to, she also had a temper that would explode at random times that didn't really make sense. The girl's had decided rather quickly that Willow was an ice queen and that they didn't particularly want to hang out with someone as anti-social as her.

So Willow spent her time hanging out with the boys, who had already started to break through the walls she put up.

For awhile the boy's tried to include their dorm mate, Peter Pettigrew, in hanging out with them, but he just didn't fit well into the group. He was a pudgy little boy, with blond hair and beady blue eyes, who was shy and didn't seem to have much confidence, but he would follow James and Sirius around like a weird little puppy dog. And while James and Sirius enjoyed the attention, they also found it a bit creepy, so they didn't hang out with him much.

So the after the failed attempts at friendship with the other kids in their year, the four first years became decidedly closer. They spent their free time exploring the castle and getting to know each other, until they knew each other so well it was hard to believe they had only been friends for a few weeks.

**~{}~**

"Will… Willow… Willlooow…"

Willow sighed and looked up at the boy who was distracting her from her work. "Yes, James?"

James Potter smirked and sat down at the table next to her.

"I'm bored." He whined, snatching the Charms book out of Willow's hand as she tried to go back to her homework. Willow sighed again.

"What would you like me to do about that?" she asked looking forlornly at her homework knowing she was going to end up staying up way late trying to get it done, because no matter what she did James would suck her into his plans.

"Let's go exploring!" he said excitedly, knowing he had won already.

Willow sighed… again. "Alright, but why are you making _me_ go? Where are Sirius and Remus?"

James just continued to grin as he pulled her up and out of the common room.

"Well, one; because you're one of my best friend's and as my best friend it's your duty to keep me entertained." Willow raised her eyebrows at this but let him continue none the less. "And two: Remus went home for the weekend and Sirius is in detention for that little 'accident' that happened in DADA yesterday, remember?"

Oh, right. She forgot. You see they found out pretty quickly that their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was a really awful teacher. He treated them all like they were little kids, never mind the fact that they kind of were little kids.

They were in a war right now with some pureblood supremacist, who was out to 'purify' wizarding blood by killing all the muggles and muggleborns. Which was totally ridiculous, but not the point. The point was, they were in a _war_ and the class they needed the most to defend themselves had a teacher that talked to them like they were _five_.

So Sirius, frustrated and bored, (never a good thing with him) ended up getting the chalk to write swear words and draw pictures of Professor Green being roasted on a spit while centaurs danced around the fire. (It was things like this that really made Sirius' friends worry about his mental health.) Unfortunately, Professor Green caught him and gave him detention for a week. Tonight was the last night.

Remus on the other hand, went home for the weekend because his mother was very sick and Remus said he wasn't sure how much longer she had to live. So it was with a heavy heart that they said their good byes and wished his mother well, as he left the night before.

So tonight it was just James and Willow. It would have been awkward, if James and Willow hadn't grown so close. Willow found it was surprisingly easy to talk to James and more then once found herself actually showing more the two emotions around him. Of course they also did the most bickering in the group, because James' overconfidence in everything drove Willow up the wall.

They were almost exact opposites in personality, but oddly shared a lot of them same interests.

"Come on." James said dragging Willow beside him as they walked quietly through the halls. It wasn't passed curfew yet, but they knew it was close enough that if they ran into the caretaker Mr. Filch they would get in trouble.

"What are you looking for? I thought you just wanted to explore." Willow whispered as they darted around a corner and hid behind a tapestry. Of course they didn't need to as there wasn't anyone around. But they were still only eleven, and sneaking around like that was fun.

"I thought we could try and find the kitchens. I'm kind of hungry."

"Oh, well we should probably go towards the Hufflepuff common rooms. I heard a fifth year talking about a rumor that they were around there somewhere."

James looked at her shrewdly. "And you didn't tell us?"

Willow shrugged. "I only just remembered."

James laughed quietly. "Better late then never, yeah?"

Willow just smiled.

They spent what seemed like hours searching and came up with nothing. It was way past curfew by now and Willow was starting to think it was hopeless, until they saw a teacher coming around the corner at the other end of the corridor they were in. Quickly the two friends bolted back the other way, turning left and right, not actually knowing where they were going till they got to a dead end.

Tired and out of breath, they both leaned back on a picture of a bowl of fruit and slid down to the ground, only to jump a mile when they heard a giggle and then fell back into a huge room.

Slowly standing up, they saw four long tables in the same place the house tables would be in the Great Hall, and on the other side of the room were hundreds of little house elves, busying themselves at the hundreds of stoves that lined that side of the room.

James and Willow were broken out of their shock, when no less the ten house elves came up to them and started asking if they wanted anything. Beaming at each other, Willow asked for a big bowl of pudding and the two friends sat down and celebrated their victory with lots of chocolate pudding.

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><p><em><strong>Review please!<br>**_


	3. Chapter 3 First Year Dramatics

_**A/N: I sincerely apologize for how long it's been since I posted for this story. I've been distracted by my other fic and my original stories. I also apologize for the probably many typos and mistakes in this chapter. I didn't have anyone to look it over this time. **_

**_But anyways, I believe next chapter will be the last for their first year. I'm not sure if I want to just skip to fifth or keep going one year at a time. What do you think? Also I have a poll on my profile for who Willow ends up with in the end. Be sure to take that. Any who, onwards to the story…_**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own a thing… really I don't… well except my OC's…**_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three; First Year Dramatics<em>

_November 27__th__, 1971_

October came and went. In the two months James, Sirius, Remus and Willow had been at Hogwarts, the teachers had already pegged them as troublemakers. Willow had learned that if she stayed quite, she got off a lot easier then the boys; she even went unnoticed most times.

The boys didn't begrudge her the fact that she got off, in fact they encouraged her to use her 'Powers of Invisibility' (as Sirius so dubbed it) whenever possible. She found out a lot about the students and teachers in the school because of her ability to go unnoticed.

Remus seemed to have an unusual power over the teachers too, that could get him out of trouble most of the time. It was almost like an innocent act, except he didn't plead innocence. He would just act so guilty and so ashamed, that anyone with a heart would let him go. Most would say that was manipulation, but Remus' friends knew better. The thing that really got to the teachers was that a lot of the guilt and shame was real.

But it didn't matter much, as Remus would refuse to use it if it couldn't get them all out of trouble. At least that's what he said until the other three troublemakers made their first rule: if you can get out of trouble, no matter who is in trouble with you, then do it. It didn't do anyone good if they all got in trouble.

So while Willow and Remus did get in trouble. It was nothing compared to James and Sirius, but even they had their own charms to work on the teacher to get out of trouble.

The only teacher that didn't seem affected by any of their hidden 'Freedom Powers' was Professor Minerva McGonagall, she could sniff out trouble like a bloodhound could it's treat, which brings us to today…

"What were you four thinking?" McGonagall practically growled. Remus cringed and Willow tried to sink into the background. "Don't even think you will get out of this Ms. Blake! I know you and Remus are the brains behind these two dimwits!"

Willow almost smiled. It wasn't every day your favorite teacher calls you smart and almost makes it sound like a bad thing. James and Sirius on the other hand looked insulted.

"Dimwits? We're not dimwits!"

"Yes, you are Sirius. Don't lie." Remus said still hanging his head in shame— though Willow was quite sure he was hiding a smile now.

"Well, I never—"

"Be quite Mr. Black!" McGonagall snapped. She never did seem to appreciate their jokes. "I expect better of my lions. Especially you four! What made you think it was okay to do that to an animal?"

All four of them hung their heads in shame. McGonagall was a master at guilt trips. They hadn't meant for it to hit Mrs. Norris, they just wanted to get back at Filch. The other day, it started to storm while the students were outside and so by the time they got back to the castle they were soaked to the bone and covered in mud. Now since the first day, Filch has had it out for Annie and no one knew why. But that day he took to a new annoying level, by putting her in a week's detention for tracking mud into the castle even though there were fifty other students doing the same.

Well, seeing as Annie was the four troublemakers' friend and she was unjustly punished, they wanted revenge. So the next day they set a trap for ol'Filch. But none of them expected Mrs. Norris to come slinking down the hall first.

By the time the boys stopped flinching and Willow opened her eyes, Mrs. Norris was covered in a white tar like substance and wearing feathers instead of her now missing hair. They had never seen Filch so angry. But now they were getting chewed out by McGonagall and were surly in for another week's detention if not more.

They really needed to work on not getting caught.

_**~{}~**_

_December, 4__th__ 1971_

Willow looked around the corridor cautiously; making sure no one was there. She grinned when she didn't see anyone. It was now or never.

Earlier that day she had used her 'Powers of Invisibility' to find out the passwords to the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms. After two hours of silently following people around, she got what she wanted. Now she and Remus were going to the Ravenclaw common room and Sirius and James double teamed the Hufflepuffs.

They were to meet up at the Slytherin common room, so they could do that one together. They felt it best to have as much back-up as possible for that one.

Slipping passed the door, Remus and Willow split up. Willow went left to the girl's dorms and Remus to the right for the boys. As quietly as they could, they snuck into each room until they met back up at the bottom, leaving with grins on their faces.

They did them same to Slytherins, and then made their way back to Gryffindor tower, only stopping once for Willow to get the girls in Hufflepuff. When they got back, they made sure to cast the charms on their own house and selves, not wanting the teachers to have more reason to suspect them.

They all climbed into bed a little while later with the same thought running through their heads: Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

_**~{}~**_

Willow woke up early as usual the next morning and made her way down to the common room. She was surprised to find, not only Remus, but Sirius and James waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs too.

The moment she laid eyes on them, she couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles. Sure she had seen herself in the mirror, but this was just too much. Because all three boys were now sporting brown furry ears, short manes and long tails with tuffs of fur at the ends. Each mane was the color of their hair. Remus' was shaggy and a sandy brown color, Sirius' was well groomed and jet black like James' was, though his was also sticking up every which way.

Willow was suddenly very glad she was a girl and didn't have a mane, because they looked really uncomfortable.

The boys watched her with varying amounts of amusement as she tried to stifle her giggles. They were just so cute!

"May I just say," Sirius started to say in his most haughty voice. "That you, my dear Willow, make for quite the cute lion."

"Why thank you, Sirius." Willow replied still grinning like a loon. "You are quite the handsome lion yourself."

Looping her arm through his, they walked proudly out of the common room with James and Remus running to catch up.

When they got to the Great Hall they all tried to stifle their snickers as Annie came running over to them covered in shimmering blue and bronze feathers.

"Why are me and my housemates covered in feathers?" She asked, her original glare intensifying with the sudden caw sound she made at the end of her question.

"I don't know. Rather curious don't you think?" Willow replied innocently, the others nodding next to her.

"I think it was Aliens." Sirius commented conversationally. "Telling us they liked us better as animals."

"Nah, it was the house elves getting revenge on all us kids for making messes." James countered.

"You're both wrong." Remus shook his head. "It was the spirits of the founders promoting house unity."

"How do you figure that?" Willow asked as they all sat down and started piling there plates with eggs, bacon, sausage and toast.

"I donno. It just sounded good I guess." Remus shrugged, making Willow laugh.

For the next two hours, the four pranksters watched as students filed into the Great Hall some grumbling, laughing or looking just plain confused. The four first years would fall over themselves in snickers, every time they saw a Slytherin flick their forked tongue or a Hufflepuff wiggle their whiskered noses or a Ravenclaw randomly caw while talking to a friend.

"I think we should have left off the eyes for the Slytherins." Willow said later that day as they walked to potions. An older Slytherin was giving them a rather nasty glare that was made all the more terrifying by the fact that his pupils were slit like a poisonous snake. "The tongue is funny and the random patches of scales are kind of odd, but the eyes…" She shivered.

Remus sighed. "Yeah, we should have thought of that. I kind of feel bad for the Hufflepuffs as well. People keep calling them skunks because of the black and white streaks in their hair."

Willow shook her head, brushing her teal colored hair out of her face. "Only idiots would do that. Plus I think their cute. All whiskery and stripy, they even have those cute little tails."

James laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen you act so girly before, Willow."

Willow shrugged and gave a lopsided smile, her hair flopping in her face again. "I can't help it. I love animals."

Surprisingly, the teachers didn't try changing the students back. In fact most of them seemed to find the whole thing rather entertaining. Later that night when the charms wore off, the four pranksters congratulated themselves on a job well done. They finally played a large scale prank and didn't get caught.

_**~{}~**_

_December 25__th__, 1971_

Snow now covered the castle and grounds like a giant white blanket. The castle halls were chilly with the winter wind and the common rooms were made cozy with fires blazing in the grate and a never empty jug of hot chocolate on the tables. Christmas decorations hung off every railing, suit of armor, and anything else able to hold garland, tinsel or mistletoe.

Willow's mother was going to be working all Christmas and Willow's dad and Leo were going to the mountains for a skiing trip. So Willow was to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.

Sirius was staying too. After he got sorted into Gryffindor he had gotten a howler from his mother, basically saying she didn't want to see his face till the summer. And after hearing that two of their friends were staying behind, James and Remus both decided to stay too. So this Christmas, the four friends decided, they would make some new traditions.

_**~{}~**_

Willow woke feeling so warm and cozy in her bed that she did not want to move. And she didn't move for a long time until she heard a relentless pecking sound at her door. Groaning, she reluctantly got out of bed and shuffled to the door. The moment she opened it Sirius' horribly hyper owl came swooping in, circling her head as she vaguely tried to swat at it.

After circling and dive bombing her head a few times, the annoying owl dropped a letter on her bed and swooped back out the door. Willow sighed and opened the letter with mild curiosity.

_Merry Christmas Wills!_

_Grab your stuff and head over to our dorm. We want to open our presents all together, so hurry up!_

_We're waiting._

_Signed, your lovable Sirius!_

Willow growled. She just wanted to sleep in her warm cozy bed, but of course Sirius wouldn't let her. She debated for awhile whether to go or not. Since the boys couldn't come up to her dorm, they couldn't get her but knowing them, they'd find a way.

So with one last longing look at her bed she gathered her presents and shuffled her way to the boy's dorm, purposely taking longer then usual. When she got there, the boys greeted her with varying amount of enthusiasm. It seemed she wasn't the only one who was woken up against their will.

Carefully making her way across the disaster of a dorm, Willow climbed up onto Remus' bed and sat next to him knowing his bed was the cleanest of them.

"Morning, Remus." Willow said tiredly as she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Morning." He voice sounded oddly hoarse.

"C'mon, sleepyheads! It's present time!" James cried looking far too awake for this early in the morning. Willow might get up early every morning for breakfast, but that didn't mean she was awake for most of the morning.

But despite how tired she was Willow still couldn't hold in her excitement as they opened their presents. They spent an hour unwrapping gifts. Only stopping to "oo" and "aw" over certain gifts, like James' invisibility cloak which his father passed down to him, or Sirius' new pocket knife that could open any lock, that he got from his favorite Uncle Alphard.

"D'you know what this means?" James asked with a manic grin on his face. "We won't get caught anymore! We can walk around the castle after hours and not worry about being _seen_!"

The other three joined him in his manic grinning as throughout the castle several teachers shivered as they felt a sudden dread fill them.

The four first years continued to unwrap gifts until it turned into a wrapping paper fight, which led to a mass snowball fight with the other students staying at the castle. They finally ended the day with a Christmas feast and a hot cup of chocolate. All in all, they felt it was a wonderful Christmas.

_**~{}~**_

_February 10__th__, 1972 _

**Thump!**

A groan rang throughout the library and Willow shook her head. _One day, one day James will realize the girl wants nothing to do with him._

Willow saw Madam Pince scowling and starting to make her way towards the commotion. _Oh, boy. Time to go._ She thought frantically as she quickly gathered her things and sprinted over to the dazed boy lying on the ground.

"Come on, Idiot." she whispered exasperated, grabbing him by the ear and dragging him out the door before Madam Pince could get to them. She only let go of the whimpering boy when she was sure they were safely away from prying eyes and ears.

"What was that for?" James whined as he rubbed his poor ear.

"Stop whining." Willow replied, annoyed. "What were you thinking? Madam Pince only just started letting us back in the library and now you're trying to get us kicked out again."

The boys had gotten her banned from the library for a month because they set off a 'minor' prank in there. (Every time someone opened a book there hair changed colors. Snape had fuchsia pink hair with purple Polk-a-dots for a week.) So they were on thin ice already with the strict librarian. (Willow conveniently forgot that it was she, who came up with the idea.) Then James had to come waltzing in and make a big ruckus trying to get Lily Evans to go out with him, only to get punched into the ground. (For such a small girl, she really packed a punch.)

James raised his hands in a placating way, cowering at Willows angry glare. (The girl rarely showed her anger, but when she did, it could be scarier then McGonagall after Sirius stole her wand.)

"I'm sorry. I just really like her, okay?"

"You only like her because of her hair." Willow accused.

"Nuh, uh! I like her 'cause she's smart and pretty and... And..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Willow sighed. "Can you at least stop asking her out until she's actually interested in boys?"

James shoulders slumped as he mumbled: "Yeah, okay." then he shot up straight again. "Hey, you want to be my valentine?"

Willow stared at him incredulously for a moment, before throwing up her hands, yelling "I give up!" and walking away.

_**~{}~**_

A couple minutes later the portrait hole opened and Willow came stomping into the common room, collapsing into a seat next to Remus.

Sirius who was playing cards by himself looked up and raised an eyebrow at her huffy state.

"So what did James do this time?" Remus asked over his Transfiguration book.

Willow huffed. "He tried to ask Evans out again and she punched him to the ground... again. Almost got us banned from the library for another week by the look Madam Pince was shooting him."

"Ah. But… why would you be banned as well?" Remus put his book down having finished the chapter and turned to the annoyed girl sitting next to him.

"Because the teachers always punish me with you guys, always assuming I'm apart of your schemes."

"But you are always apart of our schemes." Sirius stated confused.

"Yes, but the teachers don't know that." Willow explained shaking her head.

Sirius and Remus laughed.

"But that still doesn't fully explain why you're so annoyed." Remus continued.

Willow huffed again, crossing her arms. "Every time he gets shot down by Evans he asks me out so he can try to make her jealous. It's beyond annoying."

Sirius shook his head. "I don't get why he's going after girls already. He's only eleven. He can't even take them on real dates anyway."

"I tried explaining that to him, but he doesn't seem to find that important." Willow sighed, shrugging helplessly.

It was an hour and two games of Exploding Snap later, that James came slouching into the common room with lump on his head the size of an egg.

"What happened to you?" Remus asked, while Sirius and Willow snickered having already guessed.

"Evans threw a book at me."

With that Willow and Sirius couldn't help but fall over in fits of giggles and snickers. He would never learn.

**~{}~**

_June 1__st__, 1972_

Willow's, James', Remus' and Sirius' first year was coming to an end, and the teachers couldn't be happier. A whole summer without any random mishaps in the halls, smart remarks in class or bad excuses for being found wandering the castle at night. No more late night planning, or midnight snacks. The biggest pranksters to come to Hogwarts since the Prewitt twins were finally going home for the summer.

And it was with this thought in mind that these four friends were laying under their favorite beech tree watching the Giant Squid sunbath in silence.

"It's not that bad, guy's." Willow said in what she hoped was a cheerful voice. "We can still visit each other and send letters and stuff. And if all else fails, we _are _coming back next year."

By the looks on their faces this didn't help much. Willow sighed and stood up. She tried being nice…

"Alright, you lot." She commanded loudly. "You can lay here and wallow in self pity all you want,_ or_… You can get off your lazy butts and help me plan the perfect End of Year Prank! We've still got _four weeks_ before we leave and we also have exams. Now, are you going to continue to mope here, or are you coming with me to plan for a great prank?"

The three boys watched her in shock for a moment before nodding dumbly and getting up to follow her. Seeing their dumbstruck faces, Willow started to laugh, causing the others to laugh as well.

They kept laughing till they got to the library; at that point they didn't even know what was so funny, just that they couldn't stop.

**~{}~**

_**Don't forget to Review and tell me whether I should skip ahead or go one year at a time. Thanks to everyone for being so patient. Ttfn! :)**_


	4. Chapter 4 First Year Comes to an End

_**A/N: So here it is. The last chapter for their first year. Don't know when the next chap will be up, but I'm working on setting a schedule for myself. So hopefully that will work. Anyways...**_

_**I got a review about pairings and so I thought I'd put my answer up here in case anyone else was curious. I took down the poll for Willow's pairing a while ago and I was really surprised by the result. I'm not going to tell who it is, 'cause that'd be no fun, but I will say it will change a lot of things for the story in the future... and I mean a lot. **_

_**Anywho, thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews. They make my day. Hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry it's short. **_

**Disclaimer: I own Nada... Well, except for my OC's... other then that I don't own anything.**

_Chapter Four; First Year Comes to a Close_

_June 3__rd__, 1972_

Despite what Willow told the boys about planning a great prank, and not worrying about the end of the year, Willow was freaking out. She was usually found in the library pouring over school books that were stacked higher then her head, trying to prepare for exams. The boys had to go find her multiple times during lunch and dinner breaks and drag her away from the library, just to get her to eat.

One stormy day, Willow had gone MIA again and the boys were becoming frantic. They checked the library, the kitchens, the common room, Ravenclaw tower (In case she had gone to see Annie), and they even sent Lily up to see if Willow was in her dorm (that ended with them all getting a long speech about Lily not being an owl or something along those lines. They hadn't really been listening.). But they couldn't find the missing Gryffindor any where.

They were just starting to give up when they saw a familiar girl standing in the rain near the lake. Curious, they made their way over to her.

"What are you doing out here, Will?" Remus asked as the three boys stood next to her. She had her head tilted back and her eyes closed; the rain had already soaked her from head to toe.

"I'm refreshing my soul." She answered matter-of-factly.

The boys exchanged confused glances.

"What d'you mean?" Sirius watched her with wary eyes, like he was afraid she'd finally lost it.

Willow smiled vaguely and opened her eyes to look at them.

"Close your eyes and blank your mind." Slightly suspicious, the boys complied. After a couple minutes of just standing there in the rain, James got impatient and started fidgeting. This is stupid. He thought, biting back a sigh.

"Do you feel it?" Willow asked.

"What exactly are we suppose to be feeling?" Remus asked apprehensively with his eyes still closed.

"The rain washing away all your worries and stress. That's what rain does, ya'know? It starts everything afresh. It washes away the dirt and grim and leaves everything feeling… clean. It does it to your soul, too, if you let it. It wipes away your fears and pain, so in the morning you can start anew." She said this all so matter-of-factly that it was hard not to believe her. So they stood there… All four friends, stood in silence as they tried to feel the rain wash there souls clean.

"I think I feel it." Sirius said after a while, Remus agreeing not long after.

James was getting frustrated. He didn't feel anything that they were talking about. And who thought that rain could actually do that? It just didn't seem real. But despite his disbelief, he stood out there with his friends for an hour before the rain started to slow and they all started to get cold.

_**~{ }~**_

_June 19__th__, 1972_

Remus was not hiding. So, he was sitting in a dark, barely used corner of the library…and, yeah, maybe he didn't tell anyone where he was, but he was _not_ hiding. Not-at-all. He was simply…avoiding. Yeah, that was it.

The reason Remus was 'avoiding' his friends, started after the last full moon. Remus had just been cleared by Madam Pomfrey to get back to school. Imagine his surprise, when he walked into the common room—hoping to sneak in an hours rest before class—only to find Willow sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

"Morning, Willow." He said shifting from foot to foot nervously. He wasn't even sure why he was so nervous. He just knew she was waiting for a reason, and that reason couldn't be good.

"Morning, Remus. Tough night?" She responded casually barely even glancing his way.

"What?" He was thoroughly confused now.

"The bandage on your head. Get attacked by another rabbit?"

"Er—yeah. Nasty little buggers, them."

Willow sighed and finally looked at him. He wished she hadn't, because her eyes were filled with disappointment and he hated disappointing anyone.

"Come here, Remy." She said softly. Remy? That was new. Shaking off his thoughts, Remus sat down beside her cautiously. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, but decided to stick to their code for now; when in doubt, _deny everything_.

The two friends sat in silence for a moment. Each one studying the other, trying to decided what to say next, finally, Willow spoke.

"I _know_, Remus." Her sapphire eyes were sad.

"Know what?" Remus tried.

"Your secret."

"What secret?"

"Total deniability can only get you so far. I wouldn't suggest it." When he didn't say anything, she sighed again and continued in a lower voice. "I know about…about your little problem."

Now Remus started to panic. She knew. She knew he was a monster. She was going to abandon him and tell the school and get him kicked out. He'd lose _everything_. All his friends, his chance to actually do something with his life… He'd lose the feeling of actually being normal. It with these last thoughts, that something in his brain seemed to shut down. He felt an odd calm settle over him and he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Willow asked slightly panicked.

"To pack." He answered simply, face still blank.

"I don't understand. Why?"

"Because you know what I am. You're going to tell the school and then I'll have to leave." His voice was still eerily calm and his eyes distant. It was the scariest thing Willow had ever seen.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to tell anyone! I'm you friend! Friends don't do stuff like that to each other."

"But _why_?" He suddenly cried. If the situation were not so serious, Willow was sure she would have found the dramatics rather ridiculous. "Why would you still be friends with me? I-I'm a monster!"

Remus jerked back in shock as a sharp pain went through his jaw. It took him a moment to register that Willow had just slapped him.

"Don't you ever— _ever _say that about yourself again." She growled. Remus was surprised to see how angry she was with him about saying a simple word. Of all the things he expected her to get angry about, this was not it. "You are not a monster. You are a twelve year old boy, with a…a horrible curse. A curse you don't deserve. Now, when James and Sirius wake up, you will tell them what you are. They have a right to know, and I refuse to lie to them. If they don't accept you as I have, then they are not the friends I know and love. Understand?"

Remus nodded slightly dazed, his eyes wide. Willow pointed to the boy's staircase and he went without question.

That was two days ago and that was also why Remus was currently not hiding in the library. Every time Remus pushed off telling James and Sirius with some lame excuse, Willow would glare holes into him. So, this time he decided to take refuge in the library, which, as he would soon come to realize, was not his best plan.

**~{ }~**

An hour later found Remus cowering behind a bookshelf as Willow lead an unwilling James and Sirius towards him. Sighing in resignation and hoping to just get it all over with, Remus stepped out from his hiding spot.

"Remus." Willow greeted without her usual warmth.

"Heya, Remus!" James said with an easy smile, before leaning close to him and whispering. "What did you do to get on Willows bad side?"

Remus didn't answer; he just stared pleadingly at Willow, who glared right back.

"Tell them. Now."

Remus sighed and sat down. He waved for the two confused boys join him. When they were all settled— Willow was still pinning him with a glare, to make sure he didn't weasel out of the explanation— Remus took a deep breath and started to explain.

The following hour was a long one for Remus. James and Sirius both took the news rather well, as they had suspected what was wrong, too. Though Remus seemed to feel that Sirius only took the news as well as he did because it would drive Sirius' mother nuts to find out he was friends with a werewolf. Even though he knew not to tell; Sirius liked the thought, anyways.

Either way, Remus was overjoyed by the end of the day. His friends knew his secret and didn't turn him away; in fact they were constantly asking how they could help. All in all, Remus was the happiest he'd ever been that night.

_**~{ }~**_

_June 29__th__, 1972_

Willow was pleasantly surprised to find out that even though she got a few rather low marks in certain classes (Like Transfiguration), her other marks by far made up for it. Remus of course passed everything but potions with flying colors, and for the most part so did Sirius and James.

Plans for their End of Year Prank were finally coming together, the only thing they needed now was— as Sirius had suggested one day— a name for themselves. It took them three days and fifteen pieces of parchment before they found a name they all agreed on. Before they knew it, it was their last night at Hogwarts and they were ready to leave with a bang.

As everyone settled down in the Great Hall on the last night and Dumbledore finished his speech, there was a large clatter outside the Great Hall doors. Everyone quieted down and stared as both large doors, burst open and a small army of suits of armor came marching into the hall. The suits split into groups of six and headed down each path between the tables, stopping once they were spread out evenly. A few minutes went by of nothing happening and everyone began to relax, talk to their friends and pile their plates with food. When the last piece of food disappeared off the last plate, the suits burst back to life and shot confetti out of their visors.

Students all through out the hall found themselves in a cloud of confetti as one of the suits would shoot a small ball at them and watch it explode as soon as it touched them. Students were laughing and teachers looked amused and a little impressed. After ten minutes of random confetti clouds, the suits turned their heads as one to the roof and shot out the final burst of confetti. The students whooped and cheered as the confetti shaped itself into letters saying:

_The fun and pranks this year have been brought to you by…The Marauders!_

After that, the suits of amour clattered their way back to their original spots in the castle and the confetti vanished. The students continued to cheer for a good while, and the newly dubbed Marauders couldn't help the brilliant grins that lit up their faces.

_**~{ }~**_

_June 30__th__, 1972_

The next day was chaos. Students were running to and fro, gathering things they forgot to pack and saying goodbyes to friends before rushing out to the train. The Marauders found a compartment to themselves and tried to hide their sadness by goofing off and playing games. As the train got closer to the station, the group of friends became more quiet and depressed. Finally Willow couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Hey," Willow said getting the boys' attention. "We will write to each other everyday and we'll visit one another all the time and before you know it, we'll be right back on this train. Don't look so depressed."

James smiled at her. "Your right as always, Will. It won't be that bad. Let's just enjoy this while we can."

Remus agreed, and the three of them started chatting and playing again. It was only a few minutes later that they realized that Sirius still wasn't participating.

"What's up, Sirius?" James asked concerned.

Sirius didn't answer. He just continued to glare at the floor. James looked at the others with raised eyebrows, but they just shrugged.

"Sirius," Willow questioned tentatively. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." He snapped, still not looking up.

"Obviously not, mate." James tried. "Usually when a person sulks and glares in a corner, it means something's up."

Sirius grumbled something and finally looked up at them. "You wouldn't understand." He growled. "So just leave me alone!"

James fell back in his seat and sighed in frustration. Willow rolled her eyes and turned to Remus. Maybe he could get Sirius to talk. Remus shook his head furiously, but after getting glares from both Willow and James, he relented.

"Look, Sirius. Whether we understand or not, is not up to you. You could at least give us a chance." When Sirius didn't even look up, Remus continued with a bit of irritation coloring his voice. "Fine, act like a misunderstood prat, but the least you could do is tell us why we have to deal with it!"

Sirius' head snapped up and he gave Remus a dangerous glare. "Fine!" he spat. "I'll go find another compartment."

Before Sirius could make it to the door though, James blocked his way. Now, Sirius was quiet a bit taller then James, but despite this, James held fast.

"Dammit, Sirius!" James growled. "Sit down."

The two boys glared at each other for a minute, before someone kicked Sirius in the back of the knees making him fall back onto the seat. He turned his glare on the little blonde, now sitting next to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell us what's wrong, so we can help." Willow said softly. Sirius tried not to look at her, but Willow had this look that the moment you saw it, you'd want to spill your guts. And spill his guts, Sirius did.

"I can't go back." Sirius finally said, only looking at Willow, who grabbed his hand. "They'll lock me up. You heard that Howler I got from my dear old mum. They're going to make my life hell. I can't go back to that place."

"Then don't." James said simply. "Stay with me. My parents will love you. Just go home for a day or two, and then come stay at my house for the rest of the summer."

Sirius shook his head. "They won't let me go, I know it."

"Then sneak out." James insisted. "We'll help you."

Willow and Remus immediately nodded in agreement and the four got to planning. Sirius knew none of their plans would work, but just knowing they'd do so much to help him, lightened his heart considerably. When the train pulled into the station, they all said their goodbyes and promised to keep in touch.

As each one found their respective parent, they all had smiles on their faces, feeling the next year couldn't come quick enough.

_**A/N: Don't forget to leave me your thoughts. I always enjoy hearing from you guys. :)**_


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